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Saturday, November 29, 2008

I have 52 thousand things to do so I thought I would post! Great idea, huh? I mean with all five of you reading it I am sure you will be very enlightened. Why is it that when we have SO much to do we do things that really do not help. Blogging is not helping me clean, do laundry, get my fall stuff put away and attempt to get Christmas stuff out OR anything else remotely related to progress. Nope. Not a bit.

So, how are you? How was Thanksgiving? Ours was fun! I am glad we got to be with all of our fam and no one got hurt. Well, you know what I mean. The family thing CAN be a bit touchy at times. This year? We didn't touch anyone in the wrong way. BUT it's only Thanksgiving. Give us time. Christmas is on it's way!!

I am dang tired ya'll. Are YOU? I just don't know how being with family makes you this tired, but it does.

This Monday my mother-in-law is having her surgery. She's really being a trooper about it all. She told me that they have to take a copy of her living will with them to the hospital! HELLO! A little morbid, don't you think? She thinks. I have a feeling that she's going to come through this like a champ! Her attitude and her "lets-get-on-with-this-before-I-explode" mentality is what gave me that feeling.

Anyway, we decorated her house for Christmas yesterday because she is STILL planning on having the work Christmas party at her house. Even if she can't walk she is planning on having her house ready so that the office (not as seen on TV) can celebrate. Doesn't that make you feel like she's a little determined? Or crazy. You pick.

Ok, reality sets in. I gotta accomplish something. Though it is 10pm. I have a feeling I might not accomplish a lot.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I wrap MOST and I bag those things that are awkward... but I do color coordinate it all. One year I did all black and white houndstooth packages and my family had red bows and my husband's had green so we could tell them apart! This year I got some bright green plain paper and then I got red and white stripped paper too. I think it will look a little Grinch-ish, but it will be FUN!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial AND pre-lit, but I miss the smell of the real one!

3. When do you put up the tree? I TRY to do it right after Thanksgiving, but it doesn't always happen like that!

4. When do you take the tree down? It depends. Some years I am OVER it and I am ready to put it all away. Some years I just love looking at the lights and I leave it up until I think people are ready to call me a redneck... then I take it down.

5. Do you like eggnog?NO- Yick!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I am sad to say that I don't really remember a HUGE gift that stands out, but I did love getting an Easy Bake Oven!

7. Hardest person to buy for? all of the men in my family. They all claim to need nothing so I just wander around the mall in a total fog.

8. Easiest person to buy for? My mom! I could shop for her everyday!

9. Do you have a nativity scene? YES, but I would like to have more than one

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail and it's usually a photo card

11. WORST CHRISTMAS GIFT U EVER RECEIVED? I don't really remember anything terrible either! I guess that's a good thing. Sometimes I would get clothes that were TOTALLY not me, but nothing horrid stands out.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I guess A Christmas Story... I don't really get into holiday movies so much... The Polar Express was SO amazing just in the animation

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I try to be on the look out all year... If I see something I know someone might like I go ahead and get it.

14 . Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? not that I know of...

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? sweet potato casserole, this jello salad that my mother-in-law makes... me and my sister-in-law "fight" over it, all of the desserts... oh goodness!

16. Lights on the tree? white, please!

17. Favorite Christmas song?I like Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, but without "the fates allow" part... I love the songs about Jesus since THAT'S why we celebrate in the first place PEOPLE!

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? lately we have stayed home. It has been SO nice.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer'? I don't think so... I have to sing the song... and even then I don't always get 'em.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? traffic and commercialism... AND the radio stations playing all Christmas BEFORE Thanksgiving! Give Thanksgiving a chance people!

Monday, November 24, 2008

Remember the other day I wrote a post about comparing? WELL! Funny how God works, ya know? Today my devotion (from Beth Moore's John the Beloved Disciple) was based on this passage:

1 John 3:19-20

"This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and

He knows everything."

How about that? John struggled with a heart that condemned him? I mean so many times when I get all wopperjawed and sideways in my mind it's because my heart IS condemning me! It doesn't always take someone doing something to me in order for me to feel less! Sometimes I just get it in my mind somehow that I do not add up or that someone doesn't love me... YOU KNOW... all those crazy thoughts we get!!

TAKE HEART my sisters! GOD is greater than even our hearts! AND He knows EVERY single stinkin' thing that we feel and think! It's no surprise to HIM! AND I LOVE it so much that someone (obviously inspired by God and CHOSEN by God as a disciple to who followed Jesus Himself) dealt with similar issues!! It is such a comfort to know that He speaks to the problems that we face DIRECTLY!

Somebody said on the radio today that there are new age churches that are saying that God's Word isn't relevant to our lives today so they are not using them!! I BEG to differ!! What encouragement and relevance this has to me in my life on many occasions and this is just one little verse!! AND just one issue! I mean... come on! I have MANY issues!! Oh, yeah. I do.

Ok ... off the soapbox now.

So, guess what I did today? I set my car alarm off. While I was sitting in the stinkin' thing!!!! I tried and tried to turn it off. It would NOT stop! People were stopping and looking at me. I pressed the panic button. I pressed the lock button. I pressed the unlock button! It STILL blared!! BEEP!!! BEEP!!!!! BEEP!!!!!!!!! I put the key in the ignition. It beeped. I turned the car ON! It beeped. I mean I looked like a total idiot out there pressing buttons and looking all around my car trying to get the crazy thing to stop. FINALLY. I pressed the lock then the unlock. And it stopped. GLORY HALLELUJAH! I thought I was going to have to drive home with my car blaring... like I was a totally crazy criminal that just stole some girl's car with a monogram on the back! Praise Jesus it stopped. I just KNEW some cop would pass me and I would end up in jail.

Oh, did I mention I have issues?

Weeeelll, another thing that happened today is they called to schedule my daughter's MRI. I am NOT looking forward to having her put to sleep again (we just did this this summer for her to have teeth filled!) but I realize that this MRI will give us more info. and insight into her little head (literally!) so it's worth it. I mean, if it means we can help her more with therapy and school assistance then we need to do it. Her OT called today too. We just chatted about all of it. She is SOOO awesome and really understands all that we are trying to do to help our girl. It's great to have a team that is working with us who has dealt with all of this before.

Oh! Daggum it! I was going to add a recent picture of Caroline and I hit spell check instead! Did you know that pictures won't load after you do that?? Makes me so mad!!! Oh well.

It's that time of year again. It's my brother's birthday. He works at Lowes in the garden section. He paints some (like pictures, not houses... not like a painter but an artist... like the man with the afro that paints on PBS... because we don't have cable I see him every Saturday... ANOTHER issue). Anyhoo... I never know what to get him. It's the HARDEST thing on the planet. Yes, the planet.

Well, my kid is still up and it's almost 9. What kind of parent does that on a school night? Tomorrow is her Thanksgiving Feast at school. The food is so yummy!! We gotta go to bed!! Don't want to miss the turkey and dressing tomorrow for sure.... with 200 elementary aged students it should be a nice quiet Thanksgiving meal.

**THIS THING IS PUBLISHING ALL SQUISHED UP! I am sorry!! I tried to fix it!****

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Yesterday was my mother-in-law's birthday! She is really doing AMAZINGLY well considering all that she is facing with her upcoming surgery to remove this cancer. She went for her pre-op stuff and already sports a very attractive hospital bracelet. "THANKS for the reminder!" she said! "Nothing like wearing this on your arm and total strangers asking what it's for!" She was laughing about it. Good for her!

My sister-in-law offered to take their small TV over to my in law's house for after the surgery. She said they could just put it in her bedroom so that she could have some entertainment during recovery. My MIL said, "Why? I am not planning on being in there that long!" YOU GO GIRL!

So today was a bridal shower for my friend Amy. She is getting married on December 6th and Caroline is in the wedding! She is SO excited!! I took my camera, but I was so busy that I really didn't get any good shots. Everything was pink, black and silver and we had lots of ribbons and balloons. I think she had a good time and she got some good loot!! I mean, some really nice presents from her thoughtful friends. One of our friends made the cake and it was hot pink with black polka dots and it was shaped like a gift!! CUTIE PATOOTIE!!

So now we are on to tomorrow and, you guessed it! Another important day to celebrate! My friend Jennifer is getting OLD! HA! (Well, she will never be older than me so I guess I need to watch the old jokes! Paybacks, ya know?)

Jennifer (on the left, with our sweet friend Faith on the right) and I met at church and over the years we have become pretty good buds! I remember the first time I met her she was standing in front of us at church. She is in really good shape and has a small frame. When she had her back to me I would have NEVER guessed that when she turned around she would be like 8 months pregnant! It was all in her tummy and I am sure my eyes were wide when she turned around and shook my hand!

Jen has a daughter that is a little older than my Caroline so it has been AWESOME to have someone who has "been there" in the not too distant future to call on for advice. They have been so sweet to pass on some hand-me-downs and her daughter has been such a good friend to my girl. We have babysat each other's kids and had many lunches, dinners and a few beach trips thrown in!

A couple of years ago I broke my wrist and Jennifer came to my house, fixed my child's hair, took her to pre-school AND brought her home on more than one occasion... because I could do NONE of it!! THAT is a friend for ya!

Our husbands both went to NC State (GO PACK! KILLED UNC today! SWEET!) and they are both engineers so when we are all together they have a few things in common too!

I guess I could go on and on! Jenn.. just know that I love you! I am glad that you are my friend and I appreciate all of the prayers and encouragement that you have given for the sake of my family! You are a sweet, sweet friend and I am thankful that the Lord put you in my life!

OH YEA! After tomorrow... which would be Monday... we will celebrate Jennifer's DAUGHTER'S birthday too!

Friday, November 21, 2008

I look at friends who are more creative, more talented in some area or skinnier than me and I get the thought that I am, somehow, less.

I think we all do this to some degree and sometimes we are harder on ourselves than other times. Right now isn't a bad time for me. That's not what I'm saying. It's just that I know that I have good times and bad times.

Do you do this? Do you look at the positives in others and allow them to highlight your negatives? Ok, maybe they are negatives, but they are differences and sometimes we see them as negatives. It's hard, isn't it?

I see a girl with a super cute straight hair cut... and mine is curly, and I think.. it would never do that!I see hear a girl sing that can hit notes that I could never reach.. unless you pinched me! And I think I could never do that!Or I see things that people have made or can do with their hands and I think that I could never make something look like that!

Well, it's true we all compare ourselves sometimes. It's a part of life I think!

Today I read this:

"I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are Mine." Isaiah 43:1b

It made me think that no matter how much I compare myself to someone else... the Lord loves ME. He came to redeem ME and He knows MY name.

And He did the exact same for YOU.

Lord, I thank you for my curly hair. I thank you for the gifts that I DO have and I praise you for the way that you came and died for ME. Please help me to look at You and the things that You have for me and not around at what I may not have. You made each of us in Your image and we all have abilities that are special to us. Thank you! Please forgive me for not being thankful enough and help me to see the special plan that you have for me. May I pursue YOU with all of my heart and not what others have or may do. You are God and You are mine! I praise you Lord! I praise You...

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Earlier this week we went on a field trip to a park that is about 45 minutes from our school. I had never been before, but it was really fun!! They had all sorts of animals and a few rides as well as a BIG playground. It was a great place for 100 first graders to go play!

Here's Caroline looking at a snake. Eewww! Of course she kept tapping the glass! Oh! I hate snakes!! Yes, they are God's beautiful creatures, but I don't have to like 'em! YICK!

Next we went to a little animal show where they let the kids TOUCH a snake (EEww!) and a chinchilla and a komoto dragon. (How would you like to have that name? It just sounds ferocious!)

Then they rode on a little train. Here she is with her buddy, Tanner. It was FREEZING out there so everyone had on their coats!! Except Tanner.

Then they headed to the merry-go-round. Caroline is not too sure about that going around AND up and down at the same time so she always chooses the seat. Lots of moms would not even get near it for the sheer fact of it going around so she was in good company!

Next they ate lunch and then went to the playground. They had some really neat things for the kids to play on. Here is some sort of structure that everyone agreed must have been designed by some engineer somewhere! It was really cool and it had ropes inside it like a spider web. The kids loved it!

They also had these swings that were like HUGE baby swings. There was a handicapped sign on the playground so we thought they might have been designed for kids with special needs! HOW COOL IS THAT!? A playground after my own heart! In this picture the air holes in the swing are right at her ears. She looks like Doctor Spock!

After we played we were almost completely frozen! The kids had a ball and it was a great way to learn something new and play all at the same time!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Here's the silly girl SWEEPING leaves with her "sweep!" Her daddy was in the yard raking.

Here's the conversation:

"Mom, where's my sweep?"

"I think it's in the back yard."

"No, it's not. YOU find it."

"No, I don't want it. YOU find it."

Goes to the back yard. Comes back with arms hanging low and head down, carrying a little shovel from the sand box.

"What's wrong?"

"It's not back there and daddy is having all the fun! I am just going to use this shovel!!"

"Why don't you look in the garage with the other brooms?"

"Oh! Yea!"

Comes back with a huge grin, carrying her 'sweep', sweeps the leaves then jumps in them and they go EVERYWHERE! She is NONE too sad about it either!

It's funny to think that the things that we think are fun when we are young are SO not fun when we grow up! I remember thinking that washing the car was fun! Raking the leaves... til I had blisters on my hands was FUN! I think our perspectives change as we age and I definitely think that I need to see God's blessings as FUN and not chores!

What a gift to have fall leaves all around us. They are beautiful and I have a YARD for them to fall into!

Just today Caroline said, "Mom, look at the leaves. They are so pretty. They are all over the ground. Don't you love it?"

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Some of you have been so precious to ask what we found out with our girl. I posted this on my special needs blog, but thought I would add a little to it and post it here too.

Of course we know that doctors are in their fields because they have a heart to help others and they have studied their behinds off to understand more about our mysterious bodies. Well, that was exactly the case with us on Friday when Caroline got to see a neurologist for the first time!! I am so thankful for our OT who worked hard to get us in! God is so good, ya'll!! I am amazed at how He has provided for us through our school, OT, psychologist, and now this neurologist!! WOO HOO! God is good!

We are going to have an MRI and some blood work done so that they can learn a few new things about our girl.

1) They will look at her thyroid and other indicators about her muscle tone... which apparently is "low" or floppy.

2) They will look at her frontal lobe in her brain to determine if there is a disconnect somehow in between her brain and her ocular nerves (which help you with eye movement and control).

3) They will also look to see if there are any areas that might be affected that could cause permanent learning disabilities.

4) They also want to see if she might be a candidate for vision therapy that might strengthen her eyes and give her more ability to stay focused on a task for longer periods of time. Therapy in OT has helped her be able to stay in her seat longer and pay attention so other therapies might enhance that. We just need to know for sure before we spend all that dough!

There are some pretty interesting things that this kid is doing that is leading us to want to know more.

1) She can spell words aloud, but writes the correct letters in a different order on paper. Hmmm... interesting, huh? Even simple words she will say (for example) "I-T" for "it" but sometimes writes "T-I". WHY is that? We are not sure if she is flipping them in her head or if there is a processing problem that causes her to not be able to get words from her head to her hand and then onto the paper. It's called dysgraphia. Sort of like dyslexia, but it's with writing instead of reading.

2) She is beginning to read and do math, but math is slower... so they will look at whether or not she is right brained or left brained and see where her strengths are. The eye thing could have something to do with it being difficult to stay on task too. If she can't control her eyes then she can't stay focused. Can we fix it? I don't know!

3) She does some different behaviors that seem autistic in nature, but her verbal abilities are so strong that they don't think it's autism. They think it's "stereotypies" which is like a behavior disorder that we HOPE will correct itself as she get older (or as peers begin to ask "what's that you do with your hands?" she will want to stop!).

Anyway, I am thankful that we can have this insight into her little head and see what all is going on. I just really feel that the Lord is showing us that He is working all of this for His good and one day He is going to show her and us just what a special plan He has for her.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Well the one on the left... with her hand in the air... I have asked you to pray for her and have shared a little about her life (all seven years of it) since we have entered the world of occupational therapy and sensory integration issues.

The one on the right is the sweet mother-in-law that I recently asked you all to pray for as she found cancer in her body and will have to have it removed.

WELL! GUESS what God is up to?

Yesterday our little one was tested again just to see where she is with her balance, fine and gross motor skills, auditory processing, motor planning and other skills. We are preparing for tomorrow when she will see a neurologist who is going to help us to know if we are on the right track with treatment and whether or not we need to seek out more intense therapy. SHE DID SO GOOD! I mean, we are not where we need to be, but some of the things that they initially tested her for are not as big of an issue anymore. She still needs therapy and we still need to know answers to some questions about why she does certain things and how she processes things, BUT she is improving and we are just praising the LORD!!

Now, the other great news is that my MIL got some test results from 2 biopsies yesterday and they both came back NORMAL! Which means that the cancer had not spread to the immediate surrounding area of the effected place and that perhaps it has not spread to the lymph nodes. OH. MY. WORD. It was just the best news. We still will not know anything for sure until they do the surgery, but we will take it!! Are you kidding me?? We will take it!

SO... PRAISE THE LORD!! We are just thankful for little steps and are continuing to pray for more good results as things progress for both of these sweet ladies. I love them both and it is good to see the Lord at work.

Where ever you are. What ever you are facing... no matter how hard or uncertain... bring it to the feet of the Father and lay it down. Over and over again if you have to. But let Him work. He is NOT going to leave us without hope. He is NOT going to allow us to carry more than we can bear. It may seem like it, but he PROMISED... PROMISED... that He would never leave us. And He can not break promises. He just can't.

Monday, November 10, 2008

This cute blog had a list of pet peeves the other day. This this funny blog had a list of songs that really get on her nerves a few weeks ago. It is pretty funny to see the things that get on people's nerves so here are my two lists:

Pet Peeves

1) Hearing people chew their food

2) Seeing people chew their food

3) Hearing people slurp their drinks ( And I have 2 of the biggest smackers right here in my house! OH. MY. WORD. They send me over the edge sometimes!)

4) Men trying to drive and talk on the cell phone (they are NOT multi-taskers... so they need to stop. it. right. now.)

5) Rude people

6) flat soft drinks- YUCK!

7)mail stacked up in my kitchen

8) kids talking back to their parents

9) being unorganized (which, at times, makes me get on my OWN nerves!)

10) Repetitive questions (I stole this one from this blog, but it's SO true!)

Ok... now for the songs... this cracked me up AND I sang them the rest of the day! Oh my gosh! They got on my nerves so bad, but it made me laugh so here we go!

1) AAAfternoon Delight

2) Kokomo

3) Bright Eyes... every now and then I fall apart... and I need you now tonight and I need you more than ever! (please!)

4) Delta Dawn... what's that flower you have on?

5) Anything Culture Club

6) Like a Virgin

7) Hello... is it me your looking for? I can see it in your eyes...

Ok... I know that there are more.. I just can't think of them right now! What about you!!?

Sunday, November 9, 2008

I will apologize from the start because this post will be a little heavy. It's something that I want to write because hopefully it will cause you to think about your loved ones in a new light.

Sometimes there are things that come into our lives that we never expect. Cancer is one of those things. This week we got news that my mother-in-law has a gynocological form of it, and it has stopped me dead in my tracks.

It has been a real shock mainly because she is the healthiest one in my entire family!! She plays tennis on a Senior's team and has amazing arms that I could only dream of having! She eats right. She walks and plays tennis quite a bit. She's healthy!

She is a very talented cook. She is a very talented seamstress who can sew like a fiend! And she's a woman who loves Jesus. Her faith is what has sustained her through the loss of a baby many years ago and the loss of both of her parents. She is organized, has the cleanest house in the world, and she is really really strong.

But this week she learned that she will have to have surgery to remove cancer from her body. We don't know what all she will have to endure, but we do know that she will endure! She has a positive outlook and a desire to get back out on that tennis court so she is rarin' to go... eager to beat this and ready to get on with life.

Thing is... this has made my husband, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and me look at our family in a whole new light. We have thought to pray for her and each other each and every day. We have thought about what WE eat, how much WE exercise (or not!) and how much we talk to each other in a given week... month.. year. We have thought more about HOW we pray for one another, and how we think of each other.

Sad, isn't it? To think that something like cancer has to wake us up! I guess we are only human, but it's still sad that the human race has to face scary circumstances just to realize exactly what we have and realize that we had better take care of it... of them... before they are taken from our reach.

Will you please pray for us if the Lord brings us to your mind? We are trusting our Heavenly Father and realizing that He is still God no matter what! He IS in control and He is worthy of our praise. This is not only our attitude, but it's her attitude and that makes it such a gift to our entire family... to see her face this with a determined spirit to continue to serve the Lord no matter what!

Let me encourage you... GO TO THE DOCTOR every year!! Do not put it off thinking that you are just fine! GO! PLEASE GO! Have your mammograms! Do what the doctors tell you to do. Exercise! Eat right! I know it's hard... BELIEVE ME! I am the LOVER of sweets of all kinds!! But we have to take care of ourselves!! The doctors say that this is greatly in her favor and will help her heal. We have to do the same!

Saturday, November 8, 2008

I have tried to write an entry over the last few days like 25 different times, but every time I sit down I just stare... at the screen... like I want to write something, but I just can't! What's up with that? I hate it when I KNOW that I have not been still for more than 5 seconds and yet I think I have nothing to write about!

Side note: Our daughter is in the bed and we can hear her making rooster noises. WHAT in the world?

So the little frogs died. Yeah. It was sad. I thought it was strange though when the instructions that came with them only required us to feed them twice a week and it never said anything about cleaning their little aquarium thingy or anything! Don't you think you need to keep their little aquatic environment clean? I mean, it came with a snail and all and it was suppose to keep it clean... all by it's little self? I don't think so! It died too. Oh well. I guess we aren't the froggy type! Caroline seemed to take it well. Since she looked at the maybe 10 times in a month!!!

Tomorrow is church and I always love going! Today's devotion in my John (Beth Moore) study was about Peter being so overtaken with seeing Jesus on the shore after His resurrection that he jumped out of his boat and swam to Him! Beth (like she's my friend) made the point that we should be so excited to see Him that we will go to any cost to get to Him. It doesn't matter what others think of our craziness!! I would rather be crazy about worshipping Jesus than crazy out of my mind!! He's the reason that I am half sane to begin with so He deserves my worship and no man's opinion of that worship should stop me! I want to worship with full abandon!!

I hope you have a great day at church tomorrow. No matter what you are facing He will meet you there! Go to worship Him with all you've got!

Hopefully next time I will have pictures or something!! WOW! Dead frogs and worshipping Jesus. This may be the strangest post ever written. Ever.

About Me

I am honored to be the wife of the sweetest man on earth and mom to one spunky little mess of a girlfriend! I enjoy Bible study that challenges me, decorating that stretches me to be creative and frugal, and friendships that push me closer to the feet of Jesus. I like jeans that fit and laughing 'til I cry. I like to dance, be silly and cookies. I have a heart for those with special needs and believe that the Lord uses them to teach me how to be more like Him. I love to sing and be spontaneous. I'm just me! Welcome to my blog!!